


On the River

by chicago_ruth



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, M/M, Pining, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-05 19:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11019912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicago_ruth/pseuds/chicago_ruth
Summary: Karabo wishes his brother didn't insist on using his magic. But he'll continue to protect his brother, no matter what.





	On the River

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Allekha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allekha/gifts).



"Hey. Are you all right?" Karabo pressed his hand against his brother's cheek, and winced at the heat.

Some warmth was expected – their boat was moving very slowly upstream, with the sun beating down on them. The rowers grunted and sweated, and everybody hoped for a bit of real wind to propel them forward.

Itumeleng sat in a shaded corner of the deck, and looked worse than the rest of them. His loose shirt was soaked through, sweat made his dark skin sheen. His lips were parted just slightly, his eyes brows narrowed in pain.

"Fine. I'm trying to—" Itumeleng gave Karabo a pained smile, to which Karabo's heart sank. He knew exactly what Itumeleng was planning.

He sat down next to Itumeleng, leaving a thin space between them. It was too hot to touch properly, but it pained Karabo not to comfort his brother. "You don't need to."

"This is why I'm here." Itumeleng pulled his knees up to his chest and bent forward. His hair fell over his eyes, the individual locs having pulled free of the string that tied them all together.

Karabo wanted to touch his brother. He wanted to shield him from the pain, and from the judgmental eyes of some of the others on the deck. Thankfully the rowers were too busy in their task to notice Itumeleng, but the other mercenaries – especially Udo – started to pay attention.

He heard Itumeleng gasp, and in the same moment a sudden wind rushed past. The ship’s crew cheered, happy to have their work eased – the captain immediately ordered for the sail to be released -- , but Udo crossed his arms and scowled, spitting onto the deck.

Itumeleng coughed. And kept coughing, and coughing, until he suddenly lurched forward and rushed to the side of the boat and expelled a black sludge.

Karabo followed and finally got to touch his brother, clasping his arm and helping him stand upright. Itumeleng’s eyes were red, and there was a spot of black still on the corner of his mouth, but he smiled gratefully at Karabo.

“I think that should keep us going for the next few days,” Itumeleng said.

There was an answer at the tip of his tongue, about how the money wasn’t worth it, about how a few extra days on the river wouldn’t do them or their client any harm, but then the captain approached them.

The captain was of the northern people, her eyes painted with heavy kohl and skin the color of clay. She wore her hair in short, straight plaits, and like her fellow sailors, she covered her body with only a dirt-colored skirt around the waist and a short band to cover her breasts.

Karabo liked her, and he had the feeling she liked him as well. During the nights, she spoke to him and Itumeleng, always in awe of Itumeleng’s exploits.

The northerners did not see magic as terribly as their fellow country-men did.

Captain Tuya clapped her hands and smiled widely. “That was you, yes? I sensed a displacement of the energies, and then the sudden wind. I will make sure you have the finest parts of the fish tonight.”

Behind her, Udo shook his head in disapproval.

Whatever. Karabo inclined his head at Tuya. “It is much appreciated. Magic requires a lot of energy from my brother.”

But Itumeleng shook his head. “Don’t exaggerate. I’m only happy that I was able to be of service.”

That was, of course, the problem. Karabo would have preferred to take Itumeleng far away, so that nobody would demand anything of his magic, so that nobody could spit and curse at him for this power. But Itumeleng could not see a life for himself that did not include helping people, even if that help was given to petty lords and merchants who needed protection for a little while.

“Hold on,” Karabo said when Itumeleng began pulling away. His brother stilled and gave him a funny look, but didn’t move when Karabo reached out and wiped the remaining sludge off his face.

It was grimy on his fingers and burned.

“Thank you,” Itumeleng whispered.

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

In the evening, they brought out the thin straw mats that would serve as their beds. The wind was still going strong, taking them further up river and allowing the rowers to recover their strength. A few of the rowers mingled with the other mercenaries and played dice, gambling over raisins and dates under the light of the full moon.

Tuya sat with Itumeleng and Karabo, telling them of the time she had seen a river serpent so large that it could stretch from one end of the shore to the other. Karabo had a hard time believing her – the shores were so wide apart that seven of their ship could have easily sailed side by side – but it was an interesting story nonetheless.

While they idled, Karabo sat behind Itumeleng and began twisting the strands of his hair to keep them in their shape. It was still damp from the brief swim they’d all had earlier to cool off and bathe.

“He is a good brother,” Tuya remarked suddenly, after a lull in her story.

Karabo startled, and Itumeleng laughed.

“Yes. He’s very protective of me.” Itumeleng tilted his head back, brushing his scalp against Karabo’s hands. “I think he forgets that I am stronger than he is.”

“I know that. But I always hope that you don’t need to use your magic.” Karabo squeezed the locs and felt moisture trickle out.

“Ah, that’s one thing. But I meant the hair. I can’t get my sister to even cut my hair! I can’t imagine she would have the patience to help me keep it so perfectly styled.”

It wasn’t patience, Karabo didn’t say, but selfishness. He didn’t want anybody else to touch Itumeleng’s hair, he didn't want anybody else to run their fingers over his scalp.

“Our mother used to do this for us,” Karabo finally settled on.

“I said I could cut it,” Itumeleng added, “But he wouldn’t let me. Even though he barely has hair of his own!”

“That’s different. If I get into a fight, I wouldn’t want anybody to grab my hair. Shorn short makes more sense. But you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Useless vanity.”

They all looked up at Udo, who scowled at them from the other side of the boat. He, like Karabo, kept his head shorn, though others in their mercenary band wore it longer – either in dreads similar to Itumeleng’s or in simple braids to keep it out of their way.

“Vanity is never useless,” Tuya declared. “’For the gods see us, and see the care we take in us, and can only value that which we also value.’ Or so the priestesses tell me.” Then she shrugged. “But I don’t think the elaborate face jewelry the nobles wear would be suitable for the life of a sailor.”

“Your gods deal with death,” Udo threw back, “and I do not want their form of care.”

It was a jab, not just at Tuya and her people, but at Itumeleng, who had studied his magic under the priests of the north. Karabo tensed, ready to fight Udo, but Itumeleng scooted away from Karabo and patted him lightly on the thigh.

“I would think it smarter to be respectful of our client,” Itumeleng intoned, “if only to increase the chances of being hired for the trip back. But what do I know.”

Udo glanced between Tuya and Itumeleng. “Our client is the merchant, not her.” He took a swig of his beer. “And if any of them knew about what you really are—“

“Oh, shut up.” Tuya waved dismissively at him. “We’re moving again thanks to him, and that’s all I care about.”

With a loud scoff, Udo got up and walked over to where Zola, their leader, was dozing. He settled in next to her, probably hoping she would wake and reward him with longing look.

The three of them sat quietly for a moment. The silence carried with it memories of other people, other towns, that had noticed Karabo and Itumeleng and chased them out for it. Karabo's fingers itched to touch his brother, and yet he knew that it was too dangerous to do so.

“What a boor,” Tuya finally said. “But it probably is time to sleep. Thanks for the stories!”

Despite being captain, she slept on the same thin mat as the rest of them. She had a thin linen blanket to protect from the wind, completely plain and undyed.

By contrast, the mercenaries showed off their little luxuries. Zola slept on a colorful patterned linen, while Udo had a small pillow for himself.

Itumeleng and Karabo each had a beautiful, deep blue blanket they had bought as a set in a village close to their home. That had been after they’d reunited, and they’d celebrated by splurging a bit.

They lay down on their mats, so close that Karabo could reach out and take Itumeleng’s hand in his own. With the blankets over their bodies, nobody could see. Itumeleng squeezed back and smiled at him.

“Good night, brother,” he whispered.

“Good night,” Karabo responded. He lay awake even after Itumeleng’s eyes slid closed, even when his hand went slack. He stared at Itumeleng’s lips, and wished they were alone.

 

* * *

 

They sailed on for another two days in peace, no sign of pirates or other dangers. The wind held strong, turning from magical to natural, and Karabo thought they might reach port within another five days.

He startled when Itumeleng hugged him from behind.

“What is it, brother?”

“Nothing. I miss you,” Itumeleng whispered in his ears, so close that Karabo’s skin prickled. They were of similar height, with Itumeleng only a few finger-breadths shorter, which made it easy for Itumeleng to brush his lips against Karabo’s neck.

“They’ll see,” Karabo hissed, but he didn’t move. They stood for another few moments, the breeze gently caressing their skin. It reminded Karabo of an easier time, when he and Itumeleng were still teenagers in their home town. Before their mother had sent Itumeleng away to study magic, before Karabo had left to become a warrior.

Finally, Itumeleng stepped away, his hands trailing lightly across Karabo’s waist as he did. He went to stand next to Karabo and look out over the water, still close, but not _too_ close.

“The river is calm,” he commented.

Karabo glanced around the boat. The rowers were convened around the middle of the ship, happy to take a break while the wind lasted. The rest of the mercenary crew – all five of them – was talking with Tuya at the stern, where she used the rudder to steer the ship. He caught Udo frowning at them and took a small step away from Itumeleng.

A second later, something shook the boat, and everybody stumbled. Karabo grabbed Itumeleng to keep him from knocking into the railing.

“What was that?” Karabo shouted back at Tuya.

She looked shaken. “I don’t know! There’s not supposed to be anything in this part of the river!”

The ship’s crew started muttering to themselves, while the mercenaries all reached for their weapons. Karabo kept a firm grasp on Itumeleng’s arm.

“Fan out! See if you can spot anything!” Zola ordered. Udo and the others split away from her and walked along the sides of the boat, peering into the water. Karabo looked out at the horizon.

“What are we supposed to even see?” he muttered.

Itumeleng gently pried Karabo’s fingers off of him and took a step away. “Whatever we hit. It wasn’t a wave – the river is calm here. And the captain would know if there were rocks or shallow spots.”

“Could be a large fish.” Karabo cast his gaze downwards. The water was a murky green, with sunlight reflecting back and obscuring whatever was beneath the waves.

They searched for another hour, and stayed vigilant for the rest of the day, but nothing appeared again.

 

* * *

 

The wind stopped again around midday the next day. The sail hung uselessly from the mast, and it looked like they’d need to rely on oars again.

“I could—“ Itumeleng started to say.

A sudden impact interrupted him, throwing Karabo off his feet and onto the deck. He heard somebody scream, and a strange keening noise filled the air.

“Shit!” Tuya shouted. “There’s a breach in the hull!” She started ordering the crew to secure the cargo and find the breach.

Karabo got to his feet again and looked around. The rest of the mercenaries had their weapons at the ready; Itumeleng was to his left, gripping the rail tightly.

“There’s something in the water,” Itumeleng said. Karabo joined him to look in. He couldn’t see anything, just as before.

“Where’s Sabu?” Tuya suddenly said. “Sabu? Sabu!”

Karabo’s skin prickled. He did a quick count, and sure enough, one of the rowers was missing. The scream he’d heard—

“Over there!” Udo shouted, pointing at the river behind them. “I see him!”

Rope was brought over, and one of the younger rowers stripped naked and tied the rope around his waist. It was secured to the railing, and he jumped in to go retrieve the missing Sabu.

“No,” Itumeleng whispered. He ran over to the rope and began tugging. “Pull him out! Pull him out _now_!”

“What are you doing?” Tuya shoved him aside. “I’m not leaving Sabu behind!”

Udo grabbed Itumeleng’s shoulders and roughly threw him onto the deck. “Keep your filthy hands away from us.”

Red flashed before Karabo’s eyes. He would not see Itumeleng treated like this. He drew his sword and stepped between Udo and his brother. “Watch yourself, Udo. You can’t afford to piss me off.”

Udo grinned and drew his own ax. “You think you can handle me?”

“Stop it, both of you!” Zola got between them, clutching her bow tight. “This is no time to get distracted.”

“You don’t understand!” Itumeleng stood and clutched at Karabo, throwing off his balance. “We can’t leave him in the water!”

“We’re trying to save Sabu,” Tuya said in frustration. “Just shut up and let us help him!”

“Sabu is already dead!”

Everybody stopped talking.

The dead air carried the sounds of the waves lapping at their boat, and the young rower’s strokes as he swam towards Sabu.

“I got him!”

And tension eased again. Tuya’s expression morphed into anger. “Don’t you dare say anything like that again!”

She turned her attention back to the rower. “Can you hold on to him? We’ll pull you back up.”

With dread, Karabo got closer to the edge of the ship to watch. Itumeleng stayed where he was, arms wrapped around himself and head hanging.

The young rower waved. “He’s out cold, but I’ve got him!”

Udo and the other men on board started pulling on the rope, and Karabo joined them. He didn’t doubt Itumeleng, but he hoped, he hoped he was wrong.

He’d never been wrong before though.

Karabo remembered the first time Itumeleng had predicted a death. The way their father had shouted, and their mother had cried. The way Itumeleng had been labeled a demon. The way their elder sister had refused to look at Itumeleng.

He remembered the way their father had tried to murder Itumeleng in his sleep. He remembered how his mother had kicked him out, telling him only to find training in the north.

And Karabo remembered the cold, lonely nights without his brother, and the years spent trying to get strong enough so he could leave and find Itumeleng once more.

The rope suddenly pulled taught and slid back into the water, burning Karabo’s hands. The other men shouted, and Tuya demanded to know what was going on.

Karabo let go when Itumeleng’s hand wrapped around his wrist. He didn’t hear what his brother said, because something rose up from the water, both Sabu and his rescuer dangling from its mouth. He heard the screams and the loud crunch, and then blood gushed down waterfall.

Another scream – Tuya, probably. Karabo picked up his sword again and widened his stance. Zoya drew her bow and pointed it up; Udo had his axe at the ready, and the other three readied their spears. Karabo wished he’d thought to keep his bow at hand too.

Looming above them, almost as tall as the ship’s mast, was a serpent. It was the same muddy green color of the river, save for the red around its mouth. Its eyes glimmered in orange, like the sun reflecting off the waves. The serpent stuck its tongue out intermittently, like a snake looking for prey.

 _A nice appetizer_ , it hissed into their minds, _but where is that delicious morsel I smelled some days ago?_

“You’ve had your meal!” Zola shouted at it. “Leave us be, and we won’t harm you!”

The serpent hissed a laugh. _You, harm me?_ And before any of them could blink, it slid back under the water, gone from their view.

“Find it!” Zola ordered. “Do not let it get anybody else!”

They didn’t have to look far – the snake appeared again, this time on the other side of the boat. Its head poked close, breaking a few of the oars. _I can still smell you. The stink of wind and breath, of life and death._

Shit. Shit. Karabo couldn’t risk the serpent talking anymore. He crept along the ship, hoping to reach his pack before the serpent noticed.

“I don’t understand!” Tuya demanded. “We don’t have anything like that here! The only thing in the cargo is ivory and gold!”

“I think it wants—“

Zola shot an arrow at the serpent. It hissed again, harsher, as the arrow embedded itself into its side.

_No matter. I will simply eat all of you._

And then it attacked. It launched itself straight at Zola, and if not for Udo throwing her aside, she would have been swallowed whole.

Karabo dropped all pretense of stealth and rushed for his bow and arrow. He heard spears being thrown, he saw a flash of red when Udo’s axe sliced the serpent’s neck.

And Itumeleng—

Itumeleng stood in the middle, his eyes closed, and his arms straight at his sides. Karabo could see Itumeleng’s lips moving, whispering dark words.

No time to see if he was all right. The serpent’s tail shot up from the other side of the boat, and it slammed down onto the deck, right into one of the mercenaries. Everybody else had to scramble to keep their balance.

“Get rope!” Zola shouted. “It’s simply a beast! If we can take down an elephant, we can take this thing down too!”

No. Not simply a beast, and larger than an elephant. Karabo steadied his hand and took aim at the serpent’s eye.

On his next exhale, he let go, and the arrow found its home in the serpent’s nostril instead. Close enough, though: the serpent made a loud, unearthly noise and thrashed its head to the side. The boat rocked again, and Karabo went flying into the railing.

Dazed, it took him too long to notice the serpent’s tail lashing out towards him. It wrapped around him and pulled, and then he was underneath the water, struggling to hold his breath.

 _Not you either,_ the serpent whispered, _but you smell similar. It is all over you._

Karabo fumbled for the knife he kept on his belt, but it was trapped between his torso and the serpent’s tail, and thinking was getting harder, and harder, and—

The serpent let go.

With the last of his energy, Karabo swam towards the light. He managed to reach the surface, managed to gasp in precious air.

All around him, the water was tinted red. Karabo swam towards the boat and reached up to grab the frayed remains of the rope Sabu’s would-be rescuer had been tied to.

Fuck. Karabo didn’t have the strength to pull himself up, but he was doomed if he stayed in the water.

 _I found you,_ the serpent said. Karabo watched with dread as it lifted itself up high once more.

“Go back whence you came, snake!” Itumeleng shouted.

The water all around Karabo receded, and he scrambled to hold on to the rope to not get pulled with it. The river rose up and formed a serpentine shape of its own.

Karabo couldn’t waste time staring. He grit his teeth and began to climb up. His lungs and arms burned, but he couldn’t stay where he was. He had to make it back on the ship.

The serpent shrieked loudly and was slammed onto the river bed by the water construct. The resulting tremor made Karabo slip, made the rope cut into his hands and bleed, but he had to keep going. Sweat dripped down his face and obscured his vision.

It felt like forever before he finally managed to reach the railing and collapse on deck. It couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes though. He saw arrows flying through the air, shooting at the serpent while it was held down by the water.

He needed to get up and help. He had to—

There was another shout. The boat jerked again, and Karabo slid painfully into the railing.

And then the sky darkened.

Fuck. Karabo got onto his knees and started crawling to the center of the deck, where Itumeleng stood. His eyes were almost completely white, looking no longer human.

 _No! You cannot kill me! I am the lord of the river! I have lived for hundreds of years! I have seen empires fall, I have feasted on queens and kings!_ the serpent wailed into their minds, and while everybody else flinched under the onslaught, Itumeleng only smiled.

Lightning cracked through the sky and split right through the serpent.

The smell of burning flesh assaulted the air, followed by the death bellows of the serpent. It thrashed some more, but the water construct held it down, until it moved no more.

Itumeleng collapsed onto his knees and vomited.

The water construct dissipated, returned to its natural, flowing state. The boat rose up with it, but it was a far gentler movement than getting rocked around by the serpent.

Karabo crawled the rest of the way to his brother, heedless of the black sludge spreading over the planks.

He grasped Itumeleng’s shoulders. “Are you all right, brother?”

Itumeleng looked up, his mouth still dripping, and launched himself forward in an embrace. “It hurt you.” Itumeleng whispered. “I got so mad—”

They hugged, a natural reaction to what had happened, not suspicious, no reason for anybody to think anything was off.

“What did the serpent mean?” Tuya asked suddenly. “When it said it had smelled you?”

Itumeleng tensed.

“Nothing,” Karabo quickly responded. “The serpent was taunting us.”

Maybe that would be enough of an explanation. Maybe she would accept that answer, maybe—

“The vileness.” Udo stood and pointed at the black sludge. “I saw him spit it into the river a few days ago. _That_ is what the serpent sensed. That is why it chased us. Because of him, and the evil inside him!”

Karabo saw Tuya scoot further away from them. “The… the magic did this?”

He wanted to argue, but there was no point. He gently let go of Itumeleng and stood, holding out his hand for his brother. Itumeleng grasped hold of that hand and allowed himself to be pulled upright.

“Yes. The serpent sensed the remains of my magic. But it would have found us anyway. The next time we threw fish bones overboard, or maybe when we took a swim. It was a hungry creature.” Itumeleng wiped his mouth. “Please. Please understand.”

The rowers were already making signs to ward against evil. Zola was shaking her head, and Udo smirked.

Tuya looked beyond angry. “My boat! My livelihood! I have sailed this river countless times, and never once has this serpent sought me out! You brought this upon us.” She looked around and grabbed the remains of Karabo and Itumeleng’s packs. “Get off. Get off, right now!”

She threw their packs at them, and they landed with a heavy thud right on the black slickness at their feet. With a grimace, Karabo picked both of them up. He ignored Itumeleng’s gestures to hand one of the packs over.

“We’ll go. We would have helped repair the ship, and sped your way to the port. But we’ll go, because you’re too afraid of my brother to see what a service he has done for you. For all of you.” Karabo didn’t relish the thought of swimming to shore, but they’d been rocked close enough that it wouldn’t be too long of a swim.

Itumeleng looked miserable, but he grabbed Karabo’s sword when they passed it.

Just before Itumeleng climbed over the railing, he said, “Nobody on this crew will ever make another journey again.”

 

* * *

 

By the time they finally reached shore, Karabo was exhausted and hungry. They didn’t get much further than the reeds before they collapsed, clothes wet and clinging to their skin, and Karabo didn’t care anymore. If some hungry crocodile lurked nearby, it was welcome to them.

“I’m sorry,” Itumeleng whispered. He settled in close, putting his head on Karabo’s chest. “I ruined it again.”

No. Karabo caressed his brother’s chin and tilted it upward, and then kissed him. There was a moment, a beat where Itumeleng did nothing, and then he responded, surging up to meet Karabo’s kiss and grabbing hold of Karabo’s body.

“Don’t ever,” Karabo said, “apologize for other people’s stupidity.” He pushed away long enough so he could strip his wet clothes off, and Itumeleng did the same.  He chuckled sadly. "It was the magic, this time, and not somebody spotting us kissing. That's something."

Itumeleng laughed weakly. "Should we keep a record of what's more likely to get us kicked out?"

Karabo had enough presence of mind to pull their wet blankets from their packs and laying them down on the river bank, then he took Itumeleng’s hand and coaxed him to lay on top of them.

He started with a kiss to Itumeleng’s palm, and then another on his wrist, travel up until he reached his brother’s throat. “I love you so much,” Karabo said.

“I love you too,” Itumeleng responded, and his eyes brimmed with tears. That wouldn’t do. Karabo kissed the corners of his eyes to wipe those tears away.

“I always think that you would be better off without me,” Itumeleng confessed. “Mother and Father wouldn’t have been so harsh on you. You’d have been able to stay in town with them. You could marry, and have a family, or—“

“You know I don’t want that.” Karabo trailed his hands down and settled them on Itumeleng’s hips. “You’re my family. You’re the only one I need. I would rather have a hard life with you than an easy life without you.”

Itumeleng nodded, his wet locs dragging over Karabo’s chest. “Yeah. Me too.”

They made love in the reeds, no thought given to the danger of predators of passersby seeing them. Karabo was so overwhelmed with emotion – it had been so long since they’d lain like this, so long since they’d had a private moment to themselves. He loved the feel of Itumeleng’s skin underneath his fingertips, he loved Itumeleng’s gasps and moans.

He loved his smile, and the way he laughed when Karabo kissed the underside of his knee.

And he loved the way Itumeleng took him, filled him with his seed and claimed Karabo as his own.

 

* * *

 

 

They caught fish for breakfast and grilled it over a fire Itumeleng started with his magic. He spat the vile remainder of magic into the fire, and it went up in a small, dark cloud.

“There’s a village east of here,” Itumeleng said, his eyes staring out into the horizon. “And another one a bit further south, if we follow the river.”

Staying here was out of the question, of course. Karabo thought he wouldn’t mind it too much, building a hut and living the hermit’s life, hunting and fishing for food, but they didn’t know how to create tools, and without his bow and arrow, hunting would be difficult.

He didn’t think Itumeleng would be happy in isolation anyway. He’d always enjoyed talking with people a lot more than Karabo had.

“Let’s go north,” Karabo finally said.

“North?”

“North. Maybe we can find a city in the north that has work for us. A city that will accept your skills.” Karabo began to put his slightly damp clothes on. “And if it takes a while until we reach civilization, I’m all right with that.”

He held his hand out to Itumeleng, helped his brother stand, and then pressed a kiss to his brother’s hand.

Itumeleng gave Karabo a sad smile. “I don’t think there will ever be a place that truly accepts us.”

“We can try.”

At least the journey would be pleasant, walking hand in hand with Itumeleng.


End file.
